This beautiful building was perhaps the longest running shop in Kempton and for many years provided serious competition to W.H.Ellis’ Green Ponds Store.
Built about 1833 by George Wood, it was sold shortly after to Elizabeth Mayhew, a widow who operated the shop as a general store until her death in 1881.
The shop was then purchased by George Lumsden who ran the store as a grocery, drapery and ironmongery store. “Lumsden’s” was a real landmark on the old highway until it was sold to Mrs Garland in 1917.
The shop continued on, changing hands a number of times until it was bought by Basil Johnson in 1950 who ran the shop as a service station.
The house has now become a private residence and it is a really important part of the modern Kempton streetscape. A beautiful building that has stood the test of time and its many different roles.
Main Text & Information Source & Historic Photo – Interpretive Sign at the site.
